Black Friday FAQ

What is Black Friday?

Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving. It's the largest shopping day of the year as well as the official start to the holiday shopping season. Black Friday 2016 falls on November 25th. Retailers typically offer their lowest prices of the year on items in several categories, from electronics to home items. In recent years, Black Friday has grown so popular that people have started to camp out overnight to increase their chances of getting big-ticket deals. The name "Black Friday" comes from it being the first day that retailers started making a profit - known as "being in the black." We've also seen a trend in starting sales earlier and earlier, with some stores putting their Black Friday sales live as early as Thanksgiving morning.

Are Black Friday prices only available in-store?

Nope! Some doorbusters are in-store only -- usually big ticket items like HDTVs. However, the majority of Black Friday deals are also available online. Each method of shopping has pros and cons. Check our store information and news stories to see if your store of choice will have their Black Friday deals available online.

What are Doorbusters / Early Bird Specials? What are the best deals this year? How do I take advantage of Black Friday ad leaks?

Doorbusters are early morning prices that are typically only available
for the first few hours of a Black Friday sale. These items are some
of the best deals offered -- unfortunately, they also typically come
in limited quantities. Methods of snagging doorbusters vary from store to store; you might have to camp out, or you might have the luxury of shopping online. For questions relating to shopping on Black Friday, check out our Black Friday 101 article. When specific sale information is available later in the season, we’ll release buying guides for the best Black Friday deals across various categories.

Is Black Friday worth the wait?

That all depends. There are great deals offered on Black Friday, but
some are only available in limited numbers in-store only, so be sure
to arrive quite early as some people camp out more than a day in
advance to ensure they get certain deals. Also keep in mind that
you'll have to wait in two lines: one to get in the store and one to
get out. If you happen to show up too late, you may be locked out of
the deal you were hoping for.

For some, the time commitment might not be worth it. For others, the
experience itself can be worthwhile, and the money saved is worth the
lack of sleep for plenty who have done it in the past and continue to
do it every year.

For those wary of the lines, try shopping online. Online shopping has
made Black Friday shopping much less of a hassle. However, many
retailers' best deals are still only offered in limited quantities. Be
prepared to order as soon as you can to ensure your best odds of
getting the deal you want.

How "confirmed" do you think these ads are?

All of our ads have a high potential of being legitimate Black Friday ads. All submissions are screened against our years of experience and common sense. However, nothing can be completely confirmed until the ads are officially released. BFAds.net will only post deals that we believe to be valid.

What can I do with the advanced sales information?

You can use our search feature to find the cheapest price for an item throughout all stores, create a shopping list, and generally plan your entire Black Friday shopping experience a few weeks in advance. The physical ads are usually released two days before Black Friday, with one of those days being Thanksgiving, leaving a lot less time for planning.

What is Cyber Monday?

Cyber Monday, Green Monday, and Free Shipping Day are a few of the one-day sales we see after Black Friday. While there won't necessarily be amazing doorbusters, they've got some of the best and most underrated deals of the holiday season. The best part is that these sales happen online so you won't have to camp out or stand in line again.

Why should I sign up for the mailing list? How can I find out about new ad scan leaks?

It's a free subscription that allows you to receive our email updates. Our Hot Deals email is sent out daily with a curated, hand-picked list of the best deals to be had. Our newsletter will keep you updated on ad scan leaks, Black Friday news, and giveaways. Click here to subscribe to one or both!

You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter for news updates and exclusive giveaways.

Will adding an item to my shopping list reserve it for me on Black Friday?

Our shopping list only serves as an organizational tool for you to
plan your Black Friday shopping. Adding an item to your shopping list
does not add it to a shopping cart at that given retailer or guarantee
you'll get the item when it goes on sale; you will still need to
purchase these items in store or online once they become available at
their given price.

What do AR, MIR and B&M mean?

AR = After - Rebate
MIR = Mail-in-Rebate
B&M = Brick and Mortar (refers to deals that are only available at retail locations)

Can you add this store?

We have hundreds of stores in our database. If BFAds receives advertisement/sale information for a store not on our site, and there is a high enough demand for the ad scan, we will add the store and the corresponding sale information.

I have access to the Black Friday ads for a store!

Please proceed to our safe, secure, and confidential our adscan submission form. You can submit it to us directly and we'll keep your information private -- you might even receive a token of our gratitude. You can also choose to submit an ad anonymously.

Thanks in advance!

How do I get a Black Friday shirt? What about a golden shirt?

Once our t-shirt design has been picked, we'll make them available for sale here. T-shirts are $10 with free shipping. Golden t-shirt winners have the opportunity to win a $100 gift card to the store of their choice. These winners are picked at random from existing t-shirt orders -- you can't win a golden shirt without purchasing one!

How do I enter your November Giveaway Contest?

On November 1st, you can head over here and fill out your information. You only need to enter once to be eligible for the drawing every single day. If you win, we'll contact you by email. You have 72 hours to claim your prize before we draw a new winner. Winning once doesn't disqualify you from winning again.

When will the Black Friday ads leak? Where is Walmart?

We typically see our first ad leaks in the beginning of October. To see our historical Black Friday ad scan leak information, click the links below!

Log Into Your BFAds Account

Hey there!

We're partnering with our sister site, BFAds, to bring you the best Black Friday content on the web!

BFAds is the “wikileaks” of Black Friday. With over a decade of experience, BFAds is the definitive source for Black Friday news, early ad scan leaks, Black Friday buying guides, doorbuster roundups, and informative articles. In fact, this team has been powering your Black Friday ad scans for over a year. Now we’re letting them take the spotlight.

We work very closely with BFAds — like, in the same building close — and they’re excited to be able to improve your Black Friday experience.